"Nal?"
"Are you calling me?"
Neville, who had been closing his eyes and concentrating on healing the cracks in his mother's soul, opened his eyes in a daze.
He found that his mother's eyes were no longer hollow, but looked at him gently, a tenderness so delicate that it seemed to envelop the entire world, soothing all unease and worries.
In an instant, Neville's vision blurred, and his voice trembled.
"Mom, you're awake?"
Neville stretched out his arm and vigorously wiped away the tears from his eyes.
He was afraid this was a dream, a beautiful dream he had longed for day and night.
So he couldn't allow tears to blur his vision; he wanted to see everything clearly, in case the gentle look he had just seen was an illusion.
However, his tears flowed like a bursting dam, completely unstoppable.
"Nal, it's really you!" Alice regained some strength and tried to raise her right hand towards Neville.
She wanted to touch Neville's face herself, to touch her own son herself.
Seeing this, Neville grabbed his mother's hand, placed it on his own face, and cried out with tearful eyes.
"This is great! Mom, you're really awake."
This is not a dream!
This is truly not a dream!
Neville kept shouting in his heart; he wanted to say something, but he was too choked up to speak.
How many years had it been? He had always envied other children who had healthy parents, envied other children who could act spoiled with their parents.
Even the scolding and lecturing that other parents gave their children made him incredibly envious.
He had silently endured the grievances, and now, with their release, the tears in his eyes simply wouldn't stop.
He no longer held back and began to cry loudly, as if to cry out all the longing and grievances of so many years.
Sebastian quietly moved to the side, giving space to the mother and son who were speaking for the first time in over a decade.
He glanced at Madam Longbottom and saw that she had already turned her head away, appearing to be sobbing uncontrollably.
Alice was also in tears, continuously stroking Neville's small face, as if she couldn't touch him enough.
In her memory, Neville was still just over a year old; she had no idea that in the blink of an eye, Neville had grown into a big boy.
The pain in her soul gradually brought back memories of the torment she had endured. Looking at the ward environment and the clothes she was wearing, she gradually understood something.
How many years had passed?
She didn't say much, but looked at Neville crying while holding her hand, her heart aching.
Only when Neville's crying subsided did she ruffle his hair.
"Nal, how have you been all these years?"
"I've been very well, Mom," Neville said, sobbing, "Grandmother has taken very good care of me."
"I'm now in my third year at Hogwarts, and I've made many friends."
Neville was somewhat incoherent, speaking whatever came to mind; he had so much to say in his heart, no matter how much he said, it wasn't enough.
"The Professors are also very kind to me. Professor Sprout made me a teaching assistant for Herbology Class."
"Professor McGonagall is also very patient with me, even though I'm clumsy and always causing trouble."
"And Professor Swan," Neville pointed to Sebastian, his voice filled with gratitude, "It's all thanks to his treatment method that you, Mom, were able to wake up."
Following Neville's finger, Alice clearly saw Sebastian, her former colleague.
She opened her mouth and said gratefully, "Long time no see, Sebastian, thank you for saving me."
Sebastian walked to the bedside, looked at the emaciated Alice, and said with emotion.
"Alice, long time no see."
"You said one thing wrong, I am not the one who saved you, I just proposed the treatment plan."
He patted Neville's shoulder: "The one who truly saved you is Neville. Neville suffered a lot to save you and Frank."
"Alice, you and Frank have a good son; he is a true Gryffindor."
Sebastian looked at Neville, who was blushing after hearing his praise, and his heart was filled with emotion.
Neville has finally turned the corner!
From today onwards, nothing will be able to defeat this young man.
Neville will certainly be able to shed his former timidity and become brave and confident.
He also hoped to witness the demeanor of the Gryffindor Sword Saint earlier than in the original story.
After all, with Alice and Frank's personal guidance, Neville couldn't grow slowly even if he wanted to.
"Alice," Sebastian continued, "your soul is still very weak, don't think too much, try to rest more."
"You don't have to worry about Frank's condition either; I believe that after two to three more weeks of treatment, Frank will also wake up."
Saying that, Sebastian instructed Neville: "Neville, there are still many cracks in your mother's soul."
"She is still very weak, so don't talk for too long today; you need to let her rest more."
"Also, your mother's treatment should still be primarily handled by you. Once the cracks in her soul are only half of what they are now, the Healers at St. Mungo's can use conventional methods to treat her."
"That way, your mother can recover as soon as possible."
Sebastian's voice was unhurried, carrying a convincing power.
"As for your father, you need to be patient and treat him slowly; never rush it."
"Alright, the rest of the time is for your family. I'll go out and wait for you."
With that, Sebastian left the ward and gently closed the door.
The commotion here had long since alerted the Healers of St. Mungo's; they gathered three deep around the ward door, witnessing the birth of a medical miracle.
Dean Bolton was also there; he grabbed Sebastian and shouted excitedly.
"Merlin's Healer! This is a medical miracle that can be recorded in the History of Magic."
"No one has ever been able to mend such a broken soul; it's truly incredible!"
"This advanced application of the Patronus Charm is worth at least a Merlin Second Class Order; I'll nominate you later."
"Sebastian, you can't keep this to yourself. You must properly introduce this method, preferably by holding a forum lecture and publishing a paper as well."
Publicly revealing the advanced use of the Patronus Charm?
No problem!
Sebastian himself had no intention of hiding this method.
After all, the method's usage is extremely strict, and its universality is not particularly strong, so it cannot bring him huge economic benefits.
On the contrary, making it public can bring him a great deal of prestige.
Besides, who would complain about having too many Merlin Orders?
Sebastian smiled slightly: "I plan to hand over the forum and paper writing entirely to Neville. That young man is a hands-on expert; his insights will definitely be more profound than mine."
...
Having resolved Neville's matter, Sebastian felt much more satisfied.
Before he could even rest, his duties as Deputy Headmaster responsible for international exchange brought new affairs.
The date for the magic School Potion Championship arrived.
...
...